as smoothly as possible. From bum-bag necessities to perfectly timed pit stops, make sure you’ve every eventuality covered with these handy pointers.The week before...Prepare yourself mentally by rehearsing the last four or five miles in your head. If you can

. F1 fans are sure to be in their element too – Grand Prix icon, Stirling Moss, is a five-time Gold Cup winner at this very track.Still looking for an incentive to enter? A free pair of high-tech sports socks is included in the race fee...More super

certain time will receive a slice of a communal cash fund – you never know, armed with that information, you might just run your best sprint finish ever. More racing highlights in the Midlands...Stratford Summer Six (Warwickshire, July 7)Birmingham & Black

of the futuristic Mercedes World driving circuit, open to runners for the first time this year.--Thanet 20 (Kent, March 2) Bracing, coastal course along the northern edge of Kent, interspersed with short, sharp turns up and down the clifftops to keep you on your

of Marrakech is a tick-list destination among experience-hungry globe-trotters, and the highlight of its running calendar perfectly combines an exotic encounter with a simple road race.Thousands of runners - whose nationalities are as diverse as their abilities

) incline and a spectator-friendly track start and finish.Muscular Dystrophy Run Holkham Hall (Norfolk, August 5) The grounds and deer park of one of Norfolk’s most majestic homes make a grandiose setting for this two-lap multi-terrain 10K. --Filling fast

? Then round up your running friends and enter the relay event instead. Held at the same time as the main event, teams of four are invited to tackle shortened stretches of the course - between five and eight miles each – to make up an aggregated 26.2 miles

, bananas and fruitcake – provide runners with much-needed sustenance, while the prospect of free homemade stew for all finishers is a certified heart-warmer on the more exposed stretches. --London Peace Run 5K (Greenwich Park, September 9) With its lush

, November 10) Canal locks and bridges comprise the only inclines in this otherwise flat, point-to-point race along the towpaths of the river Lee.--Filling Up Fast…Luton Marathon, December 2Luton Marathon (Bedfordshire, December 2) This three-lap course

the most I trained for about 20 hours a week - no more than some would for an Ironman. In fact, I probably had to ‘find’ less time to train than most triathletes since the majority of my training was at the weekends."Metres away from the finishRunning